In a staged frac operation, multiple zones of a formation need to be isolated sequentially for treatment. To achieve this, operators install a frac assembly down the wellbore. Typically, the assembly has a top liner packer, open hole packers isolating the wellbore into zones, various sliding sleeves, and a wellbore isolation valve. When the zones do not need to be closed after opening, operators may use single shot sliding sleeves for the frac treatment. These types of sleeves are usually ball-actuated and lock open once actuated. Another type of sleeve is also ball-actuated, but can be shifted closed after opening.
Initially, operators run the frac assembly in the wellbore with all of the sliding sleeves closed and with the wellbore isolation valve open. Operators then deploy a setting ball to close the wellbore isolation valve. This seals off the tubing string so the packers can be hydraulically set. At this point, operators rig up fracing surface equipment and pump fluid down the wellbore to open a pressure actuated sleeve so a first zone can be treated.
As the operation continues, operates drop successively larger balls down the tubing string and pump fluid to treat the separate zones in stages. When a dropped ball meets its matching seat in a sliding sleeve, the pumped fluid forces against the seated ball and shifts the sleeve open. In turn, the seated ball diverts the pumped fluid into the adjacent zone and prevents the fluid from passing to lower zones. By dropping successively increasing sized balls to actuate corresponding sleeves, operators can accurately treat each zone up the wellbore.
Because the zones are treated in stages, the lowermost sliding sleeve has a ball seat for the smallest sized ball size, and successively higher sleeves have larger seats for larger balls. In this way, a specific sized dropped ball will pass though the seats of upper sleeves and only locate and seal at a desired seat in the tubing string. Despite the effectiveness of such an assembly, practical limitations restrict the number of balls that can be run in a single tubing string. Moreover, depending on the formation and the zones to be treated, operators may need a more versatile assembly that can suit their immediate needs.
The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.